PATH OF
ADVENTURE
Simple design and strategic mechanics unleash an incredibly complex, challenging and highly re-playable mobile game.
One of the best mobile games I've ever played, and despite hundreds of hours playing, I still cant beat it.
Path of Adventure is a text-based indie game from solo developer and studio Alinea Games. Strategic decision-making, probability based combat, RNG loot, and inventory management all spectacularly come together within a simple system and straightforward rogue-like design. It's an addictive mobile gaming experience and I've sunk countless hours playing it.
I love talking about this game because it's a fantastic case study that proves the fundamentals of what makes gaming good are independent of the artistic and visual dimensions, such as graphics, story or large scale content. Those often feel like the primary focus in modern gaming. What we have here is simple stripped back mechanics and variables designed to interact with each other to produce nuance, complexity and challenge. It's the essence of what makes a game, and it's clear to me this is where the true value of game design exists. Beautiful visuals and artistic vision is something I will always celebrate in games, but this proves you don't need any of it.
This game is all about considered approaches and risk taking, requiring you to experiment and hone strategy over many hours of gameplay. You’ll find weapons with types and conditions, items for effects and buffs, fixed inventory slots, stat point delegations, obstacles, and character handicaps that all play dynamically together with excellent balance, requiring constant attention and experimentation in order to perfect a run and beat the game, especially at higher levels.
Luck and misfortune are thrown your way via the RNG, and in typical fashion you're at complete mercy to the numbers, which can be absolutely brutal. Many times I looked at my character, confident on how well prepared I was, only for a few simple taps to see everything disintegrate into absolute chaos and despair. It reminded me of the game FTL in that regard, where everything going wrong is part of the fun, as it's the constant adaption within each turn that keeps things interesting.
The hit probability when attacking actually was quite maddening. Imagine seeing a 75% chance of striking the final blow and it failing 5 times in a row. What!? I did often question whether the hit rate RNG was working properly. In some instances it was laughable at how unfair it was. Loot RNG also produced some strange results, with seemingly unpredictable drops of items I hadn’t ever got in hundreds of play-throughs prior. I'm really not sure if the game can be completed without the luck of a perfect RNG run. Even with thousands of attempts from myself, I simply cannot beat the final “Ridiculous” stage, although I have come so, so close.
As punishing as the probability Gods can be, there's no denying this is mostly what's making the game so satisfying, with its constant gambling and huge payoffs. You're pushed to make hard decisions, to think 10 moves ahead and to bet everything on a single hit, just to give yourself that slight edge for what you know is coming later. It’s a constant battle of trade-offs, concentration, and luck, which to me are those dimensions which lead to a quality game with the kind of longevity and re-playability I've found with Path of Adventure.
It’s a breath of fresh air, honestly. The mobile gaming landscape today prioritizes a different type of experience, with grinding, reaction-based mechanics and dopamine triggering reward systems as the norm, Path of Adventure stands as antithesis of it, delivering a bare bones indie success story that thinks carefully about what makes a game challenging at its core and adds nothing else.
That said, a little more content would have been nice, such as more variation in the enemies, environmental settings and traps. The writing, although quirky, could feel somewhat basic and uninspired and there was definitely opportunity to inject a little more story into the game to leverage the text based system more, but as solo project I get the scope and restrictions that come with development, and ultimately the main goal is balanced strategy and it is delivered to perfection.
There are no visuals to rate, just a user interface that is clean and effective. It's actually far more usable and legible compared to many other games in the sub-genre I've come across, and it does a great job of highlighting info and laying out controls in away that allows for lightning-fast play-throughs as experience builds. If bespoke visuals for enemies or inventory items were to be introduced it would only have succeeded at taking this game to the next level. Path of Adventure 2 perhaps?
VERDICT
Path of Adventure feels like it has landed upon a magic formula. Using familiar concepts and mechanics, it has shown that with careful balance even the simplest game can unlock a deeply satisfying and challenging experience. Despite one of the most punishing RNG mechanics I’ve encountered, the combination of strategy and luck do wonders for the games longevity and skill mastery, making it standout not just in the sub-genre, but in the mobile gaming landscape overall.
RATING BREAKDOWN
Gameplay
90
Visuals:
60
Story:
36
Sound:
n/a
BONUS
simplicity
mechanics
Longevity
FINAL